Saudi Arabia allows domestic workers greater freedom to switch jobs

Saudi Arabia recently adopted significant changes to labor regulations, clarifying the circumstances allowing domestic workers to swap employers independently of the previous employer's consent.

These changes come in the context of the wide-ranging reforms under Vision 2030.

A ministerial decision had already set up ten cases that would allow the transfer of domestic workers' services without requiring the employer's consent, including non-payment of wages and the assignment of dangerous or potentially hazardous tasks.

The latest update adds two new scenarios: When the employer transfers the worker's services to a different employer without the worker's consent, and secondly, upon the termination of the labor contract by the employer during the probation period.

The Human Rights Commission (HRC) President and Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Persons, Dr. Awwad Alawwad, said on Monday that these reforms under Vision 2030 are an example of a carefully crafted policy that provides millions of foreign workers in the Kingdom with increased job mobility, freedom of movement, and enhanced labor rights under the Saudi law.

The implementation of these remarkable reforms also reflects Saudi Arabia's long-standing attentiveness to the global community, a statement from HRC read.

“The strongest sign of this international engagement is when, running parallel to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development's efforts to enhance labor regulations, the Human Rights Commission continues working every day with its partners at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Organization for Migration to enhance the Kingdom's anti-trafficking measures and further protect both Saudi and foreign workers from human rights violations and trafficking practices.

“As HRC moves forward with Vision 2030 and the national transformation, our focus will remain on protecting people while supporting the implementation of reforms that will help the Kingdom achieve all ambitious objectives.”